[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[December 21, 2005]
[Pages 1893-1894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Departure for the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, 
Maryland
December 21, 2005

Legislative Agenda

    Thank you all. The Senate is debating two very important measures, 
and I urge the United States Senate to pass the defense appropriations 
bill. It is an important piece of legislation that provides necessary 
funding for our troops who are fighting in Afghanistan and in Iraq and 
who are serving our country around the world. It's an obligation of 
every Member of the United States Senate to provide necessary funding 
for our troops on the frontlines so that we can fight and win the war on 
terror.
    And the second important piece of legislation is the PATRIOT Act. In 
order to protect America, the United States Senate must reauthorize the 
PATRIOT Act. The terrorists still want to hit us again. There is an 
enemy that lurks, a dangerous group of people that want to do harm to 
the American people, and we must have the tools necessary to protect the 
American people. The PATRIOT Act passed overwhelmingly shortly after the 
September the 11th attack. It has been an effective tool; it has worked.
    And the same as we protected the American people using the PATRIOT 
Act, we've also protected their civil liberties. There is extensive 
oversight on this very important program. The PATRIOT Act tore down the 
wall between law enforcement and intelligence communities, which makes 
it easier to connect the dots before an attack. The PATRIOT Act also 
gave law enforcement tools to investigate terrorism that they have 
already got to investigate other types of crimes.

    The PATRIOT Act is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. The 
terrorist threat is not going to expire at the end of this year. The 
House has voted to reauthorize the PATRIOT Act, and they left town, 
because they thought their--because their business is finished. The 
Senate is still debating this issue. A majority of the United States 
Senate supports reauthorization; a minority of Senators is filibustering 
and preventing the Senate from voting to renew the PATRIOT Act. The 
Senate Democratic leader recently boasted about 
killing the

[[Page 1894]]

PATRIOT Act. This obstruction is inexcusable. The Senators obstructing 
the PATRIOT Act need to understand that the expiration of this vital law 
will endanger America and will leave us in a weaker position in the 
fight against brutal killers. It's important that the Senate act quickly 
on these two bills.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 10:11 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White 
House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.